The Thoughtful Entrepreneur

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the founder and CEO of Russell Marketing, Will Russell. Russell Marketing is a launch marketing agency that works with various consumer brands. They’ll work on various product ventures, but most of the time they work with consumer hardware and product development. Josh and Will explore how crowdfunding is the way that many of these ventures launch. Will shares that working with his product launch marketing team on so many different products has given them valuable insight into a variety of industries and verticals. This unique insight is part of why Russell marketing helps product-based brands achieve success – they have the experience and authority to be leaders in their space.Some of the first products Will launched were crowdfunded. He shares that it was easier back then than it is now to start from scratch. The space has become more and more complex as time goes by, and now crowdfunding and the industry itself have evolved considerably. It’s really important to resolve objections and market issues before you launch. You’re investing a lot when you launch a product, so you need to make the effort to really understand the market research. Why might someone not buy your product (who might otherwise normally?) You need to solve these problems first and foremost, before you launch, in order to see success. There’s considerable work involved in crowdfunding, and Will suggests you keep a few things in mind. For one thing, early traction is entirely your responsibility. The platform won’t give you visibility until you get your audience invested first. Next, be completely transparent as the founder. No one knows who you are, so why should they trust you? This challenge can be addressed when you personalize your transparency to your audience. They need to know you and trust you beyond just your brand. How are you, as the founder, going to present your product to your audience? Consider these points before diving into crowdfunding. Josh also talks about how no matter what, expect to invest in your own business’s product launch. If you want to crowdfund successfully, be ready to spend money to move quickly and gather funds. On the other hand, if you don’t decide to frontload your investment, it will take longer to build your buyer base. The upside to this is that you can reinvest your profits later on to build your visibility if you’re trying to bootstrap. Want to contact Will? Reach him through his website or by emailing him at will@russellmarketing.co. Want to learn more? Check out Russell Marketing at https://russellmarketing.co/. Check out Russell Marketing on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/russell-marketing/. Check out Will Russell on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/willrussellmktg/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks to the founder of Group Coach Nation, Chris Williams. Group Coach Nation helps experts develop high-ticket mastermind group coaching programs of their own. Chris shares that it’s just as easy to sell something low-ticket as it is to sell something high-ticket – so why not make more money in the process? He also shares that it helps these experts transform when they have some skin in the game that’s real and relevant. Why does transformation matter? Because you have to be willing to grow and get better at educating people on your expertise. Josh and Chris explore how important the delivery of information is – you might be an expert, but you won’t make any impact if you’re not teaching and delivering the information effectively. Chris also discusses the beauty of masterminds – because you and your audience are getting involved and engaged, this is a face to face process where everyone wins. You’ll see a lot more success selling mastermind seats than self-paced e-courses. Josh also discusses the benefits, pros and cons of selling high-ticket offerings. Chris discusses how engaging with someone you trust is so powerful – you know that someone is workable with you because they’ve earned your trust by proving their system works. Josh and Chris also discuss the differences between masterminds and coaching services. If you’re running a mastermind, you should have authority in your space but what matters more is that you truly are an expert. As long as you really know your stuff, there is a guarantee that there are people out there who want to learn what you know. Chris shares that each entrepreneur has their ‘place’ – they need to find their audience, but having heart is how you build a loyal audience base. Chris also talks about the myth that you ‘can’t’ start a mastermind or mingle with high-ticket people simply because of imposter syndrome. He talks about how it’s all about offering packages at every step of the process. You have to also be able to predictably generate your client base by reaching new people via networking. If you rely solely on referrals, you’re not prepared for economic shifts. You have to predictably and replacatably meet new people to share your offer with. You should also spend some time identifying the various personas of your prospects. Start watching for patterns when you connect with new people. Narrow down your client personas and tailor your content and sales tactics based on these observations. Want to learn more? Check out Group Coah Nation at https://groupcoachnation.com/. Check out Group Coach Nation on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/group-coach-nation/. Check out Chris Williams on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriswilliamshq/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge talks to the CEO of Satic, B.D. Erickson. Satic is a tech firm that offers a line of clean energy products that they manufacture right in Montana, USA. They are the leaders in their field and their niche has exploded in recent years. They believe they are solar industry disruptors because they’ve created an innovative filter to use along with other types of solar technology. B.D. shares they are selling their products faster than they can produce them. Josh and B.D. explore how and why they designed their products to work optimally and with the highest quality. B.D. shares how Satic’s technology protects your electronics through the culmination of repurposed advanced wave-form and harmonics filtering technology. He also talks about the quality of electricity. The truth? There is such a thing as “dirty electricity” and it destroys your electronics over time.The voltage and amperage must be exact in order for it to work well with technology, but dirty electricity doesn’t have consistent voltage and amperage. EMFs are also real, and interference between these fields can also damage your electronics. B.D. talks about electromagnetic interference and how these occurrences cause harmonic distortion. He shares that you should always surge-protect your home electronics. Satic offers their filter that filters and conditions all of these aspects of your power usage. You’ll save on your power bill, protect your home’s electronics, your home will be more power efficient, and it’s made right here in the USA. Satic’s website details how their technology sets itself apart from its competitors. According to their website, each Power Perfect™ product is thoughtfully engineered with the specific goal in mind of effectively replacing what is currently available with a new paradigm being clean power. They also come with ten year warranties and 30-day return policies. A great partner to work with Satic would be either a solar company or a health practitioner. The massive savings brought to you by Satic’s technology are often seen on a large scale especially, so they often partner with those wanting to streamline and clean their commercial property power use. Residential homes can also definitely benefit from the use of Satic technology, especially over the course of many years. The best way to connect with and learn more about Satic and their team is to call or email them. Reach Satic by phone at (406)-493-1861. Want to connect with B.D.? Email him at bd@saticusa.com. Want to learn more? Check out SaticShield at https://saticshield.com/. Check out SaticSolar at https://www.saticsolar.com/. Check out B.D. Erickson on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/b-d-erickson-ii-a5362621/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the CEO and founder of The Radix Group, Robert Clinkenbeard. The Radix Group primarily works with service-based, blue collar business leaders through two main methods. They offer one on one coaching that helps these leaders grow, scale, and plan for their business’s future. They also offer mastermind style group coaching where these leaders can share insights, challenges, and solutions with one another.  When Robert works with businesses, he starts operationally and helps them operate a little leaner to begin with. Optimizing the execution of jobs and contracts requires efficiency. This is one way Robert can help these leaders improve their businesses. He can also help with the sales process, as well. One of the biggest issues Robert has seen is lost revenue. He’s also seen a lack of labor force and wages rising, which these business owners need help navigating. Some of the solutions might be a little outside the box, but seeking different job pools and networking is one approach that sees results. Robert also shares more about his mastermind. It’s facilitated every few months over the course of two days, and Robert has seen entrepreneurs come in and find solutions with insights shared at the mastermind he organizes. He creates a trusted, confidential environment for business owners to share their obstacles and deal with them. Josh and Robert also talk about the importance of attending masterminds and seeking advice from an expert. Robert says it’s great to be that busy, but as your company grows, so will your challenges. He encourages leaders to step away from their day to day business operations every so often and take a serious look at the big picture of your business. What are you missing when you get stuck in the weeds of daily work? This is why mentorship and masterminds are important. You need to be able to address the big picture issues, and one of the best ways to do that is to learn from other business leaders. Also consider that you need to be a leader to your team – and lead by example. Don’t constantly get stuck in the weeds or you risk becoming shortsighted. Don’t work so much in the operations of your business, rather work on your business. Align your team, lead by example, and remember to stay humble. Be willing to share your business challenges and ask for advice and solutions once you take steps to surround yourself with like-minded business leaders. Check out The Radix Group at https://www.theradixgroupllc.com/. Check out Robert’s podcast, The Commercial Landscaper at https://www.thecommerciallandscaper.com/. Check out Robert Clinkenbeard on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-clinkenbeard-480a3510/. Check out The Radix Group on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/theradixgroupllc/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge talks to the founder and CEO of Symphony Advantage, Kent Gregoire. Symphony Advantage is helping to create the widespread adoption of conscious capitalism around the globe. They primarily do this by helping entrepreneurs release their own entrepreneurial spirit for good. What is conscious capitalism and what does that mean, though? Kent shares that you have to connect better to your workers and approach things with innovative solutions to build a world that’s better for everyone. Kent and Josh explore how the movement was founded and how large public companies want to be a part of this movement, too. Kent also shares how to take steps to become a more conscious entrepreneur. He shares that you should compare traditional capitalism to conscious capitalism. Traditional capitalism follows a shareholder model, whereas conscious capitalism follows a stakeholder model. The viewpoint to start with is your relationship with your stakeholders. Ethics is essential in conscious capitalism. You’re doing work to understand your stakeholders’ higher purposes, so commit your business to actually benefiting you, your stakeholder, and everyone else along the way. In stakeholder capitalism, innovation is at the core. Create and embrace ideas from the fringe and not just the ivory tower. This is one key component of operating in a conscious model. Josh and Kent also share that more profit is more opportunity to do good, but don’t wait for profit to do good. Look to actually solve problems and measure that success. If your product or service isn’t necessarily altruistic, look to serve and do good for your team, which will improve their life and extend awareness to others outside the business. Josh also talks about how workers in the younger generations want work that serves a purpose and makes an impact. Your employees want to see the fruits of the company's labor – everything is a team effort, which means everyone is invested in the outcome. Kent shared a profound statistic – seven out of ten American people believe that businesses have a moral obligation to be triple bottom line. This is absent of political divide, meaning roughly 70% of the American population is saying businesses have a moral obligation to do good and contribute positively to society. Kent and Josh also talk about how operating a capitalistic model with a conscious lens really does benefit everyone. It will take societal change, though, and it’s society that needs to dictate the ethical standards of how we operate our businesses. We need to all strive to make these changes as well as leave a lasting, positive impact. Check out Symphony Advantage at https://www.symphonyadvantage.com/. Check out Kent Gregoire on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kentgregoire/. Check out Symphony Advantage on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/symphonyadvantage/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks to the creator of E3 Consulting and Business Fitness University, Brad Tornberg. Brad is an author who offers a course all about business fitness. Brad shares that Business Fitness University started when he had a realization – when you compare entrepreneurs and their businesses to human anatomy, you catch some striking resemblances. Brad turned this realization into a course in order to help business owners achieve peak performance both for themselves and their businesses. Brad tends to work with small companies that are stuck trying to figure out how to scale and grow. You need people on your team who will help you look at things differently, and this is where Brad comes in. He helps especially with putting organizational structures into place. He can help startups or companies looking to scale. Josh and Brad discuss how many business owners have skewed perspectives - they may think they have an issue in one area, but Brad’s diagnostics might shed light on a lack of process or organization under the surface. You have to build off of an organized foundation to scale with success. Brad also shares that when he works with clients, they often work backwards when discussing goals and ambitions. He shares that some entrepreneurs can’t see far enough to plan and future-proof, while others are looking too far ahead and not paying attention to present issues. You need a balance of both perspectives, and that all begins with setting goals. Brad also discusses some common pain points he sees. Response time in customer service can often see improvement, and it’s one of the most priority areas to tackle, he shares. This often leads to the need for better logistical technology that can track vendors, stock, shipping, and more for customer service teams. There’s a lot of industry pain associated with the supply chain issues right now, so consider investing in tech to better assess these aspects of your business. Another major issue Brad sees is political issues within a small company's team. He shares that you have to lean in, operate with empathy, and be willing to be open and vulnerable. Facilitate team building with your employees and have an open door communication policy with a foundation built on trust and empathy. The team should work together towards a common goal, not operate as people working towards individual goals. Reach Brad at btornberg@e3businessconsultants.com Check out E3 Consulting at https://e3businessconsultants.com/. Check out Business Fitness University at https://www.businessfitnessrevolution.com/. Check out Brad Tornberg on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradtornberg/. . Check out E3 Consulting on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/e3-consulting-partners-llp/. Check out Business Fitness University on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-fitness-university/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the co-founder and CEO of Very Big Things, Chris Stegner. Very Big Things is a leading high-end software design development ideation and strategy firm. If your company needs very well polished and intuitive mobile device applications, they’d be a company you might work with. Very Big Things can work through any mobile medium to bring your exceptional digital business idea to life. Chris shares a quote by Stephen Hawking that inspired the creative naming behind the firm: “ We are very, very small, but we are profoundly capable of very, very big things.” They wanted to start something that seemed impossible. You have to be one of the best players in the world to make it, and they have performed exceptionally well in their space. Chris and Josh explore what types of companies work best when they collaborate with Very Big Things. Companies that offer a truly exceptional product are great fits for what they do. A start-up that has raised 5 million dollars or more in funding is a good fit, or an enterprise looking to improve their product and bring more exceptionality to the digital medium. Your product and app truly needs to surpass what most mainstream competitors offer in order to begin standing out, Chris shares. Very Big Things works with enterprises at their level to meet their individual needs. Very Big Things loves helping clients along with the ideation process. Innovative creation is a longer process than just having the idea itself, obviously. There are various layers and ways to implement the idea, and this is where Chris and his team shines. Their work is intuitive, polished, developed, and constantly evolving. They help their clients with the entire journey of implementing their new ideas and technology. If you want to find out if you’re the right fit to work with Very Big Things, Chris shares this: if you’re looking to do something amazing in a digital format, know you only get a few attempts at such an endeavor. If you wish to do something ambitious, game-changing, and exceptional, then your company is a fit to work with them. They want start-ups that seek to disrupt or enterprises that seek to regroup and innovate to disrupt. If you’re interested in reaching out to someone on the Very Big Things team, go to their website and scroll to the bottom of their homepage to find out more. Check out Very Big Things at https://verybigthings.com/. Check out Chris Stegner on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-stegner-30175825/. Check out Very Big Things on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/very-big-things-inc/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge talks to the founder and CEO of Thrv, Jay Haynes.Thrv is an enterprise product management software application. In essence, they build software that helps teams build better products. They have some amazing customers, too – Microsoft, American Express, eBay, Twitter, and more. Josh and Jay explore where Thrv fits in operationally for businesses – they are on the extreme front end of innovation. If you want to know what your customer wants, this is the route for you. There’s a ton of work this software can do to mitigate your risks when you begin the development of a product. Once you build this product, you’re spending money. You only earn revenue once the market starts to buy. Jay shares that you really need to know about what your customer really wants – at the end of the day, they don’t necessarily love your widget, but they love what it does. Your products need to be solution-focused and actually solve a problem in the market. Jay also talks about why certain endeavors fail when you’re copying competitors. The problem is that these companies often copy the products themselves, not what their competitors are doing. The problem with this logic is that it doesn’t account for innovation or actually seeking to improve upon a previous technological iteration. Don’t focus on what your competitors are doing – focus on what your customers need. Jay shares that Thrv works with enterprises as well as small to medium sized businesses and start-ups. He says they want to work with teams that are innovation-focused and are going to be well integrated into your team and business. This will put your customer front and center. If you put the customer’s struggles first, it increases product development, which boosts sales. Everything you do should be to improve the customer experience. At the end of the day, if you put your customers and the market first, you will see innovation take center stage. Josh shares an insight that he believes is tried and true; you aren’t smarter than the market. Future-proof and anticipate what your next solution needs to be. Assume your current solution will become irrelevant, so always plan for the next version of what you will bring to the market. Jay shares that Thrv has plenty of resources on their website, including an ebook, blog, free demo, and more. Check out Thrv’s ebook at https://www.thrv.com/app/ Check out Thrv at https://www.thrv.com/ Check out Jay Haynes on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayhaynes/. Check out Thrv on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/thrv-com/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with Mike Malatesta.Mike is an entrepreneur, author, and coach and has seen great success in the waste management industry. He got into space accidentally, and it began when he drove a garbage truck in college. Not only did he enjoy the work, but he really liked the industry. He trained and became a manager at a large waste management company and went on to become the company’s youngest divisional vice president. This all came to a shocking end when he was let go suddenly. He didn’t have a network or large support group. This led him to start his own business with an old coworker. Six months later, he owned a waste management company himself that he successfully ran and operated. Josh and Mike explore the opportunity in working in these trade industries. There’s an abundance of opportunities for entrepreneurs because these spaces aren’t celebrated or recognized enough. Mike shares that there is glitziness in waste management. He didn’t want to work in a space dominated by big players – there is space for start-ups in trades and it can be a good move if you have a good lay of the industry. If you’re able to differentiate yourself and offer new solutions in a space such as this, you can see some great success. Mike also shares how he started building his client base in this space. One of their first clients was a metal processing facility. He shared his story honestly and explained the solutions and differentiating factors their company addressed – and the facility took a chance on them. Sometimes, it takes a leap of faith, honesty and transparency, and a genuine authenticity in approaching your first set of customers. It can be difficult building your client base starting out, but be resilient, take advantage of your whole network, and continue building it even when you get discouraged. A humble grassroots beginning takes time, but if you’re consistent and don’t give up, you’ll see the fruits of your labor.  Mike shares that the combination of his business’s grit, his dedication to making it work, and his authenticity when approaching leads are the steps to how he grew his business. Josh also explores company culture in trades, and Mike shares that the waste management space is very people-centric. Don’t just look at an industry for what it is – look at it for what it does. This industry keeps things clean and orderly and it’s a noble, service-based pursuit. This is how trades should be considered, especially by business owners. Check out Mike’s book, Owner Shift at https://mikemalatesta.com/owner-shift-book-by-mike-malatesta/. Listen to Mike’s podcast, How’d It Happen?  https://mikemalatesta.com/howd-it-happen-podcast/. Check out Mike Malatesta’s website at https://mikemalatesta.com/. Check out Mike Malatesta on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemalatesta/.  Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks to attorney at law, Mohaimina Haque, PLLC. Mohaimina’s law firm is a general practice firm located in Washington D.C. They represent both individuals and companies and they’re a one-stop-shop and work in various legal practice areas. Mohaimina and Josh talk about how entrepreneurs, specifically franchise owners, need to protect themselves legally. It’s a heavily regulated space and before you can expand into franchising, you need to legally protect your brand and IP. Do you have your trademarks filed? In the US, you have to make sure the trademark is filed domestically and internationally. You also need to be aware of both federal and state regulatory requirements. There are many legal steps and audits involved with franchising, so prepare to seek out an attorney and check these boxes before you jump in. Business owners need to make sure they are registered properly in their home state and any states their businesses operate in. They also need to understand franchising disclosures. It sounds like a lot of work, and it might be for some, but this puts in place a system that protects franchises and business owners. Putting a slight barrier in place also means those entering the space really understand both the opportunities associated with franchising as well as the obstacles and logistical challenges. Mohaimina also shares that you should consult with a trademark lawyer. There are franchise disclosure laws in the US and in foreign countries and they’re not the same from place to place. Consulting a dedicated trademark attorney is one of the best ways to navigate these complex legalities. One way to protect yourself in the legal sense when it comes to your employees – have an employee handbook available to them so everyone knows what the expectations are. Employee handbooks are also a great place to educate your employees about how they’re protected by certain laws – and to educate your management team and yourself.Mohaimina also shares what she and her firm have been up to in recent months and how her work has changed over the course of the pandemic. She also plans on entering the franchising space herself and continues to offer legal support to franchise owners through her firm. She wants her clients to feel they have a trusted attorney by their side when she works with them, and she makes it easier than ever to work with her and reach her when she’s needed. Interested in learning more about Mohaimina’s work? Contact the Law Office of Mohaimina Haque, PLLC at https://www.attorneymina.com/contact-us. Check out the Law Office of Mohaimina Haque, PLLC at https://www.attorneymina.com/. Check out Mohaimina Haque, PLLC on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/minahaque/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.